THREE -SPOTTED NIGHT-JAR. 71 



bird will be at once distinguished by the three white 

 spots on the inner webs of the three first quill- 

 feathers, mentioned in the specific character. 



The size is fully equal to the C. Europceus, but 

 its length, on account of the tail, is longer. The 

 wings are very long, and extend to within two 

 inches of the end of the tail. The first quill is half 

 an inch shorter than the second and third, which are 

 of equal length, and are the longest, while the fourth 

 is an inch shorter, and the fifth is one and one- 

 fourth inches shorter than the fourth. The tail is 

 broad, and would be even, but that the last feather 

 on each side is almost half an inch shorter than the 

 others ; the inner toe is very little longer than the 

 outer, but sufficiently so to bring the species into the 

 group of Scotornis ; the bristles exceed the length 

 of the bill. 



A grey brown, which is not at all seen in S. cli- 

 maturus, is in this the ground colour of the plu- 

 mage ; it is very clear and conspicuous on the sides 

 of the head and nape, the middle parts of which are 

 striped, as is usual, with deep black : fulvous white or 

 light ferruginous spots and stripes are on the scapu- 

 lars and wing- covers; and there is a patch, almost 

 pure white, on the throat and along the edge of the 

 lower mandible. The primary quills are black-brown, 

 with a few transverse irregular rufous bars towards 

 the base on each web ; in the middle, and on the 

 inner rceb only, is a large spot of pure white : the 

 lesser quills are rufous with about six irregular black 

 bars ; the tips of all the quills are mottled with grey. 



